The Romanian Airline Companies Association “Carpathia” (RACA), which brings together nine Romanian airlines, calls for the current geographical scope of the EU ETS for commercial aviation to be maintained. The association supports emissions reductions through effective measures that protect operators’ competitiveness and Romania’s air connectivity.
Decarbonising aviation requires investment in more efficient aircraft, sustainable fuels and new technologies. Additional obligations must be assessed alongside their effects on airlines’ ability to finance these investments and maintain their routes.
For Romanian carriers, the impact depends on the size of the airline, the destinations served and its business model. The charter segment is particularly sensitive: prices are frequently set through contracts concluded well before flights take place, leaving limited scope for subsequent adjustments.
Costs cannot be assumed to pass automatically and fully through to passengers. Higher costs may affect demand, frequencies and the viability of direct connections, with implications for tourism, employment and the national economy.
RACA calls for a rigorous assessment of the risk of traffic being diverted through hubs outside the European Economic Area. Differences in coverage between direct flights and alternative itineraries may influence passenger choices. The climate benefit must be assessed over the entire journey, including where it involves a longer route. The EU ETS applies to flights within its scope regardless of the carrier’s nationality.
The association supports strengthening the global approach through ICAO and the CORSIA scheme for international aviation, together with clear rules to avoid overlapping financial and administrative burdens. RACA’s position is broadly aligned with IATA’s recommendations on competitiveness, international coordination and financing decarbonisation.
For an effective transition, RACA supports the following priorities:
- Predictable support for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), sized to reflect the cost difference compared with conventional jet fuel, including reserving allowances for long-term supply contracts.
- Fair access to SAF benefits, through the development of purchase-based claiming mechanisms, independent of the airport where fuel is uplifted, with traceability and safeguards against double counting.
- Full reinvestment of aviation-related ETS revenues in the sector, to support SAF use, fleet modernisation and operational efficiency.
- Uniform and proportionate compliance rules, accessible also to operators with more limited administrative resources and accompanied by sufficient adjustment periods.
European SAF production, including in Romania, should be encouraged through financing and conditions that improve fuel availability and affordability.
RACA promotes a competitive, connected and sustainable aviation sector in Romania, for the benefit of passengers and the national economy. The EU ETS review must deliver verifiable climate results, a level playing field and effective access to the solutions needed to reduce emissions.